


You (Don't) Know It All

by Amaryllis_Society



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2019-06-10 17:11:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15296199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amaryllis_Society/pseuds/Amaryllis_Society
Summary: Ian respects Lips opinion on everything. Except when it comes to Mickey.





	You (Don't) Know It All

**Author's Note:**

> This is a pretty short piece that wasn't initially meant to be the first work I shared concerning Ian and Mickey, but I wanted to get my feet wet before I posted anything else. If anyone takes the time to read this, I hope you enjoy.

It was an undeniable fact that Lip knew just about anything. Well, at least as far as Ian was concerned. Any question Ian had growing up, be it about a complicated equation, or how the fuck they were going to get past that six foot everything security guard down at the AMC Ford, Lip, with no hesitation, had a solution or an answer. He'd concluded long ago that his elder brother was a part of a rare breed of people that somehow had as much grit as Claude Van Damm with an intelligence akin to Einstein, but had the misfortune of not only being born in a ghetto that held little to no prospects but having the toxicity that was Monica and Frank as parents. Luckily for Lip, he'd managed to beat the odds. He'd gotten into MIT on a full ride scholarship and hopped on the first Greyhound out of Chicago with a cigarette dangling from his lips and a fuck you to Canaryville. 

Ian was proud of him. Hell, all of the Gallaghers were. Every time he came home from school, Lip had somehow expounded on his already vast intelligence, his lazy replies to questions somehow holding more weight with the Gallagher clan. But as much as Ian was sure Lip knew and understood just about anything better than he ever could, there was one thing he never got completely right, and that was the person currently sleeping beside him; Mickey Milkovich. Lip was convinced, as most in the Southside were, that Mickey was only what he'd always known him to be. A loud and brash thug who was quick to anger and didn't think twice. A man who wasn't very smart who'd never amount to anything past a lengthy prison sentence. He was an asshole who had verbal abuse to spare for everyone, including Ian. Lip appreciated that Mickey took care of Ian when he went off the deep end, but there weren't many layers past that as far as he was concerned. Whenever he could, Lip would poke and prod at Ian's relationship. Just as he did earlier that evening. 

They were in the Gallagher living room watching Goodfellas when Lip brought it up "So uh, when ya gonna dump Joe Pesci?" Lip mumbled, an unlit cigarette bobbing with every word as he patted himself down for a lighter. Ian groaned "When ya gonna stop callin' Mickey that?" pinching the bridge of his nose out of irritation at Lip's incessant need to have him leave Mickey, and by the thought of him fucking Joe Pesci once again being ingrained into his consciousness. Lip snorted, "When it stops being funny," "Only you find it funny" Ian countered, "Carl thinks it's funny" Ian scoffed "Yeah because Carl's been a good judge of anything." Lip chuckled in reply as he dug his lighter from underneath the couch cushion it had been wedged in. He lit his cigarette with expert ease before sliding the small blue Wic into his back pocket. "I'm serious man. You already got enough goin' on. You don't need Mickey bringin' you down" "Mickey's not the reason I'm bipolar-" "Not sayin' he is Ian, you know I'm not." Lip raised his hands in defense "And I'm grateful for all the shit he's done for you, but that doesn't mean I want you stuck in Canaryville and with Mickey, this is as far you go. Do you want that?"  
That was the tipping point. The conversation soon turned into a screaming match that almost came to blows had Fiona not come in and separated the two. Ian ended his visit short and caught the El train back to his and Mickey's apartment. He knew Lip meant well. He knew Lip was willing to protect him from anything and would take on the world if he had to, but he was wrong about Mickey. Mickey wasn't just some loud Southside asshole who went out of his ways to make other people miserable. When Mickey was home where the world couldn't judge him, he was raw. He had his own brand of kindness that he chose to give out where he saw fit, like tossing their food scraps out of the window of their apartment for the stray cats outside or helping their upstairs neighbor Mrs. Crumple get groceries.  
"Lady shouldn't have to starve just 'cus her cracked out kids are pieces of shit" he'd mumbled to Ian when he'd asked about the out of the ordinary good deed. He liked to make his son Yevgeny laugh as much as he could and would never admit to how much he loved rocking the toddler to sleep when they kept him overnight. He'd even helped the Gallaghers with money, adding money to the squirrel jar long after he and Ian moved out of the house. That stayed between Ian and Mickey. And he was smart. Fuck Mickey was smart. Despite failing out of high school, he taught himself in his own way and was a pretty big help to Ian when he had to study for his GED and still helped him with his homework for his associates. Ian hadn't convinced his boyfriend to go back to school, but he didn't need Mickey to have a diploma to know what he was capable of. There was also parts of Mickey that were only meant for Ian. Only he was allowed to see how deep Mickey's emotional scars ran as every nightmare and fear the older man had were whispered into his ears knowing they would be safe from judgment. He was allowed to witness Mickey be light and goofy, allowed to see him uninhibited in a way that made Ian's heart swell. He was so much more than Lip and everyone around them saw and Ian wouldn't break up with him over perception. 

In fact, he was pretty positive it was fucking impossible at this point. He'd tried that once before. When he came back from running away with his mom and didn't want to take the medication that made him feel empty in the beginning and ignored his disorder, he broke Mickey's heart. He'd convinced himself that Mickey would leave eventually, so he made the decision for him. He tried hard to make himself believe that Mickey was one of his pitfalls and destined to be a sweetheart from his high school years that would end up a passing thought, but it never felt right. They'd only been apart a month before Ian found himself on Mickey's doorstep, begging for a second chance. That was two years ago and he questioned how he could ever consider laying next to anyone who wasn't Mickey. No one's body molded with his the way Mickey's did. No one snuggled into his neck in a way that would calm him or held his hand when his medication made his hands trembled. No one kissed him with so much want or caressed him in the way Mickey did. No one warded off the thoughts that sometimes became too much for Ian to handle on his own or comforted him in the way Mickey did. No one put as many smiles on his face or laugh as Mickey did for him or offered him love in the rough way that was Mickey's personal brand. He never felt so open with someone, even Lip. Ian was thoroughly convinced that he and Mickey were made for each other and Lip just didn't understand that. A buzz from his nightstand broke Ian from his thoughts. As he reached for his phone, Mickey held on tighter in his sleep. Mickey was cute too, but that wasn't of any Lip's business either. He looked at the apology message from Lip that he knew was coming. It wasn't the first and it wouldn't be the last. "Who's it?" Mickey mumbles sleepily into his neck. "Asshole" Ian sighed, putting his phone back on to the nightstand. "Hmph" was the only response he got as Mickey dove back into his sleep. Ian kissed his lover's forehead. Lip knew a lot, that was for certain, but he didn't know it all.

**Author's Note:**

> I may end up re-writing this piece later on because I'm never satisfied with my work, but considering I've been holding on to it forever I thought why not? I was also considering doing a second chapter from Lip's point of view, but the jury is still out on that one. If anyone did read this, I thank you.


End file.
